230: Those who surrender will be spared death.

Tian Ming’s actions undoubtedly dropped a bombshell in the Lawrence Family base. Equipment scrapped, communications cut off—all of this happened in an instant, leaving Rogers barely any time to react. He looked at the young man before him, his heart burning with anger, yet nowhere to vent it.

"If you indiscriminately kill innocents, you won't be able to save Shen Yuan either," Rogers said coldly, trying to calm Tian Ming down. He knew well that in the current situation, any impulsive action could lead to irreversible consequences.

In fact, if a certain level of trust could have been established between the two sides, the Lawrence Family might have considered trusting Tian Ming, as releasing Shen Yuan could ensure the family's safety. However, after this series of events, such a possibility had become minuscule. Shen Yuan in their hands became the Lawrence Family's only security guarantee.

Tian Ming looked at Rogers and slowly said, "Li Island is not far from the mainland. Come work with me. What's the point of guarding a precarious family, isn't that right? As long as you bring people to surrender, everything that happened before can be forgiven."

Tian Ming’s words shook Rogers. He had never imagined that this young man would propose such a suggestion. Although Li Island was not far from the mainland, it had always been within the Lawrence Family's sphere of influence, an important resource they controlled. And now, this young man actually wanted him to abandon his family and work for him?

Rogers was silent for a moment, then asked, "Why do you think I would work for you? The Lawrence Family's centuries-old foundation isn't something that can be abandoned just like that."

Tian Ming smiled faintly, "Gather all your people. I'm going to destroy this base. Those willing to surrender, I will spare them. Those unwilling to surrender, they can be destroyed along with the base."

Lisa angrily retorted, "Are you crazy? Do you know that what you're doing will push the relationship between both sides to a dead end?"

The smile on Tian Ming’s lips deepened, "What if it pushes us to a dead end? I gave you a chance, and you should cherish it. In the apocalypse, an individual's will means nothing. We are all survivors, and I won't make things difficult for you. Working with me is always better than working with the Lawrence Family."

As Tian Ming spoke, he waved his hand again, and all the equipment in the room turned to dust. The base members stood dumbfounded, at a loss.

"Commander Rogers, quickly gather your people. This base can only survive for three more days. I think there are many people who don't want to die, right? You can die if you want, but please give others a chance to live." Tian Ming had a smile on his face, but his words sent chills down one's spine.

Rogers and Lisa were both shocked by Tian Ming’s words.

"You... you really dare to do this?" Rogers' voice trembled slightly. He wasn't afraid of death, but Tian Ming's actions could indeed quickly dismantle the Lawrence Family and rapidly strengthen his own power.

"Why wouldn't I dare? This world is already insane. Do I still care about these so-called morals and rules? I only care about results. The more I compromise, the more dangerous Shen Yuan becomes. So, it's better to be a little crazy and make this world slightly better." Tian Ming's words were forceful and resonant.

Those who surrendered would be spared, and even have a bright future. As long as they weren't foolish, they would make the right decision.

Lisa's face was pale. "I beg you, don't be impulsive. We can discuss, we can negotiate terms. If you do this, our family will be finished." Lisa's tone softened as she tried to resolve the issue gently.

"Discuss? Negotiate terms? Your old man doesn't trust me, so what's there to talk about? Didn't you say you wanted to destroy the world? Fine, let him go ahead. I don't care. I refuse to believe that the Lawrence Family has so many fools who would willingly be buried with your father." Tian Ming's tone was full of disdain and mockery, and the deterrence in his words grew stronger.

Rational people are always afraid of lunatics, and Tian Ming had started to play outside the rules. Only by doing so could he truly deter the Lawrence Family.

...

Just then, the Shelter radio in Donghai City received a message. The operator quickly reported it to Meng Xian. Moments later, Meng Xian rushed over and burst out laughing when he saw the translated content.

The Shelter would welcome over ten thousand people and a large amount of equipment. Meng Xian looked at the operator and asked, "Are you sure this message is from the boss?"

The operator took out an electronic key table and said, "This is an encryption system. All distributed electronic key tables generate the same password numbers at the same time. As long as the timestamp and numbers are sent, and our computing system can decrypt them normally, it must be a message from the boss. The numbers are randomly generated through this system. Unless the other party cracks our computer and breaks our system, they cannot impersonate the boss and send us messages. But our computers are not connected to the internet, so no one can crack it."

"Alright, I'll immediately inform Ji Ruping to begin receiving personnel, equipment, and supplies from the Offshore Base. You now contact the alliance and have them send people over. Just tell them the boss has started to pull the rug out from under the Lawrence Family."

He immediately turned and left to inform Ji Ruping of the good news.

Ji Ruping also became excited after hearing Meng Xian’s report. "The boss is too amazing! However, with so many people coming, our Underground City construction progress can't keep up. It might be difficult to arrange accommodation."

Meng Xian smiled and said, "These are minor issues. We should quickly formulate a management system and rules for the newcomers. For now, we can build temporary board houses for them on the outskirts. With more people, the Underground City construction progress will also accelerate. Moreover, the boss also said that out of over ten thousand people, 70% are combat personnel and 30% are scientific research and technical personnel. All of them are high-quality population."

At the Offshore Base, large transport planes began to take off. Tian Ming looked at the busy crowd and let out a long sigh of relief. Rogers had finally compromised, defecting and surrendering to Tian Ming.

All the important underground equipment on Li Island was destroyed by Tian Ming, and the entire base's energy system was paralyzed. With this, there was no choice but to surrender directly. When the personnel gathered for a general meeting, those who stubbornly resisted were basically cremated on the spot by Tian Ming.

These Western old men followed the law of the jungle. Tian Ming’s strength naturally aligned with their values. So-called loyalty is built upon strength; only absolute strength can bring absolute loyalty.

The defection, from its occurrence to the orderly transfer of Li Island's supplies, was completed within a few hours. Military officers of all ranks, following previous strategic deployment methods, began to transport supplies from the base. Large quantities of advanced weapons, as well as scientific research technology stored in the server room, were loaded onto helicopters and transported to Tian Ming’s Shelter.